 |
| Art by Rebecca Clegg |
To say Njiqahdda is a productive band is an understatement. Their Metal Archives page lists 51 releases including 14 full-length albums in just 9 years! I will talk about Yrg Alms from 2009, which is available on the Pagan Flames Recordings Bandcamp.
Yrg Alms is epic atmospheric black metal, full of emotion. The band utilizes layers of buzzing guitars, harsh noise and vocals on top of trance-inducing rhythms and amazing progressive drumming. It's beautifully hypnotic music, the best example being the 18 minutes long Saavolungaat. After a long raw droning part that moves up and down like a single massive wave, it merges into a clean section featuring a chiming guitar riff I could listen to for days. Despite the noise and the harshness I find this to be incredibly soothing music, Yrg Alms is an album you can get lost in.
[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]
The album title, song titles and lyrics are all in a language called Njiijn invented by the anonymous members of Njiqahdda; known only as / and _. You can read more about them in this in-depth interview with HM Magazine.
If I were in a black metal band, I would be known only as umlaut. Not over a letter or anything--just an umlaut floating out there on its own.
ReplyDeleteI would join your band and be known as " " (a space character), for the ultimate in anonymity. Benefit: each time you write your name ¨ you write mine too.
Delete